WEST MAURY MOUNTAIN

Ochoco National Forest​18S-18E-2

1954: An L-4 lookout house was constructed.​

September 18, 1958: "killed a six-foot bear with two shots from a .22 calibre pistol. No small feat -- and the fellow who did it was young Don Nolen from Nyssa, forest service lookout on West Maury. The bear story is a suspenseful one which Don will have a great time telling his fellow classmates at Oregon State College, where he is a Junior. Last Wednesday night a little after ten Don took his glasses off and prepared to retire. With his glasses off he was, in his own words, 'half blind.' A commotion outside of the lookout station, which is not one of those structures built on top of piling, drew Don's attention. He looked up to see the snout of a bear. The animal surveyed him through the window, waited for Don's heart to do double-time, and left. Again, more commotion. This time the bear stuck his paw through the window pane. 'He aimed to get in,' Don said. 'I coun't find my glasses, but I had the twenty-two pistol.' Don fired point blank at the bear, and the animal lumbered off into the darkness. Don got on his radio to inform his superior of what was going on. By this time he was 'scared to death.' 'This is Nolen. There's a bear trying to get in here. I shot at him the last time.' Voice on the other end of the line: 'you probably scared him away.' 'I don't think so,' Don retorted. About that time the bear jammed his head through the window. The guy on the other end of the radio heard a shot (Don's second). Both jabbered excitedly, Don made out that reinforcements would soon be on the way. He waited. The next morning Don and a couple of the "reinforcements' found Mr. Bear under a Juniper tree, Don's shots had hit the throat and the lung. The boys went to work skinning the animal which measured over six feet from paw to paw when stretched out. The last time they saw Don he was heading for Bend with the skin to have a rug made for his room at college." (Central Oregonian)